Books I've Read in 2023

I kept a list as I went this year, so it's fairly complete – although may be missing some smaller books I re-read.

I have learned, in writing these descriptions, that it's not only my own writing that I have trouble describing, so some of these are rather short and not entirely descriptive. But the titles are there.

FICTION

A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace (Arkady Martine) – Diplomacy, mystery, and (in the second book) alien contact within a conquering empire, told by a representative of a conquered station. Science fiction.

Provenance (Ann Leckie) – Something of a sequel to the Imperial Radch trilogy in that it mentions the ongoing Presger situation, but mostly just set in the same universe. Science fiction.

Is Love the Answer? (Uta Isaki) – A story in manga form about an asexual college student who's figuring things out. Fiction.

Squire (Sara Alfeegah and Nadia Shammas) – A graphic novel about a girl who dreams of becoming a knight and how different the reality of that is from her dreams. Fantasy.

The Last Ronin (Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird) – The conclusion to the latest TMNT run. Comic book.

Spare Keys For Strange Doors (Lucy Lyall) – A collected volume of the webcomic Spare Keys For Strange Doors. Urban fantasy comic.

Light From Uncommon Stars (Ryka Aoki) – It involves aliens, devils, and also a lot of violin music. Science fiction / fantasy.

The Raven Tower (Ann Leckie) – An ancient god plots its long revenge, and humans get mixed up in that. Fantasy.

The City We Became and The World We Make (N.K. Jemisin) – Cities wake up, come to life, and choose humans to represent them who then have to battle against forces from beyond this world. Urban fantasy.

The Martian Race (Gregory Benford) – Another book I finally actually got around to reading. The most realistic journey to Mars book I've read. Science fiction.

The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas) – I had started reading it a long time ago and never finished, so I decided this was the year to do that (I did start over from the beginning). Fiction.

The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri) – I briefly ran out of reading material this year, and realized I'd picked this up an unknown but long time ago, and figured I'd finally read it.

Translation State (Ann Leckie) – Continuing on from Provenance, this deals more directly with the Presger and the ongoing talks. Science fiction.

All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy (Martha Wells) – I'm sure it says something about me that I find Murderbot more relatable than pretty much any other character I've read about, but there it is. The stories are also interesting and action packed. Science fiction.

Witch King (Martha Wells) – The aftermath of a group of people including the main character having overthrown an evil conquering empire, now (much later) having to face resistance in the new world they helped create. Fantasy.

Cat Gamer 1, 2, and 3 (Wataru Nadatani) – A gamer adopts a cat and learns how to care for him (and keep gaming with him around). Very cute. Fiction.

The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (Kim Newman) – Several of Professor Moriarty's cases/criminal enterprises, including the titular, told by Colonel Sebastian Moran. I had apparently read about halfway through and then stopped, which probably happened when I broke my leg back in 2012 and couldn't get into my room for months. Since it's been so long I re-read the ones I'd already read. Mystery.

Astra Fauna: Expeditions (Sarah Dahlinger) – I backed this on Kickstarter and had actually forgot I did, so that was a pleasant surprise. Several illustrated journeys of different alien scientists in the author's world. Science fiction.

NON-FICTION

Is That Clear? (Gaynor, Alevizos, and Butler) – One of several books I was recommended after my ASD diagnosis. More for other people understanding autistic people than the reverse.

Apollo Remastered (Andy Saunders) – A thorough remastering of many of the best photographs from the Apollo missions, along with historical information and discussion. Beautiful and informative.

Being Boss (Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson) – I picked this up used the year before because I had this big plan to actually get selling my writing and all this year, and worked through it and ran into the same hurdle I always do with these books: no instructions on how to do the talking to people part, which is what I need the most help with. It might be useful for other people who don't have that problem? It also might not. I can't tell.

Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate (Cynthia Kim) – One of several books I was recommended after my ASD diagnosis. This one was the most relatable for me.

Asperger Syndrome and Anxiety (Nick Dubin) – One of several books I was recommended after my ASD diagnosis. It did help me understand where some of my issues with anxiety come from, although obviously and unsurprisingly, not all.

The Autistic Brain (Temple Grandin and Richard Panek) – One of several books I was recommended after my ASD diagnosis, a fairly in-depth discussion. Interesting.

Connecting With the Autism Spectrum (Casey Vormer) – One of several books I was recommended after my ASD diagnosis. More for other people understanding autistic people than the reverse.

Welsh Monsters & Mythical Beasts (C.C.J. Ellis) – I suppose one could class mythology as fiction, but I'm putting it here because discussions of myths fit, I think. Anyway, illustrations of various Welsh monsters and beasts.

My Brain Is Different (Monzusu) – Stories from several neurodiverse adults in manga form.

The Brilliant Abyss (Helen Scales) – I realized I hadn't read much about the ocean at all or particularly the deep sea lately, so I decided to remedy that.

Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss (Robin Wall Kimmerer) – Nature and biology with some philosophy.

The Perfect Corner, Perfect Control, and The Perfect Corner 2 (Paradigm Shift) – Full of useful information about racing in general, which I've found is entirely applicable to sim racing.

The Underworld - Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean (Susan Casey) – Continuing the ocean reading, this one is mostly about submersibles and humans actually going to the deep.

Turbine Power (Walter Simpson) – A look at a breed of locomotives that didn't stick around, but were intriguing.

How Diesel & Electric Locomotives Work (Jeff Wilson) – An interesting look at diesel-electric motive power.

Teach Your Cat Welsh (Anne Cakebread) – So far neither cat has learned, but I think it's helping me.

The Celtic Spirit (Caitlin Matthews) – I picked this up at the start of the year because I was still feeling quite depressed then and hoped it would help.